Background to Ballyfermot College of Further Education
Ballyfermot College is a constituent of City of Dublin Education Training Board (formerly City of
Dublin Vocational Education Committee). The college opened its door in 1979 and commenced Post
Leaving Certificate programmes in the early 1980s, becoming one of the largest providers in Dublin.
The college is publicly funded through the CDETB, Department of Education and Science and SOLAS.
Programmes
Quality is at the heart of the delivery of all programmes.
The college is comprised of eight departments as follows:
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Art and Design
Animation
Business
Computer Games/Multimedia
Media
Music
Social Care
Travel, Tourism and Reception
Programmes are generally one or two year duration and all lead to qualifications that are nationally
or internationally recognised from Level 5 to Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications.
Most of the programmes on offer are validated by QQI (L5) or, BTEC ( L6 comparable NFQ).
The college currently offers two degree programmes , BA (Hons) Media Production Management
validated by DCU and BA (Hons) Visual Media (Animation and Games) validated by Dundee
University. Both programmes have been devised in –house and are delivered in their entirety in the
college.
All programmes are vocational in nature with underpinning academic knowledge. Students are
prepared for the world of work or continue to Higher Education. Graduate destination surveys
indicate a pattern of approximately 50% continuing to education and 50% going into employment.
Seventy percent of the programmes delivered in the college are in the area of arts and creative
media. If cultural and tourism programmes are added to the mix then the total increases to eighty
percent.
Staff
The College principal is Maureen Conway
The college has two Deputy Principals, Kevin Devine and Diarmuid O’Brien.
There are one hundred and fifty people working in the college, one hundred teachers with the
balance including administrative, technical and maintenance staff. Six percent of the teaching staff
hold PhDs and forty percent have Master qualifications. The majority of teaching staff practice in
their field on an on-going basis.
Current Students
The college has a current population of 1,450 full-time students, 50% male/female. Seventy percent
are from Dublin and surrounding counties. There are more than fifty nationalities attending the
college. The average age of students is 22 years.
Graduates
Animation
The college is particularly well known for its animation graduates. College alumni have spearheaded
the growth of the Irish Animation Industry. Our graduates have set up, run, and hold leading
positions in companies such as Brown Bag Films, Jam Media, Boulder, Kavaleer, Cartoon Saloon,
Monster Animation, Zink Film, Barley Films, A Man and Ink, Treehouse Republic and Giant Creative.
In addition, a number of graduates have been nominated for, and have won, prestigious awards such
as Emmys, Annies, IFTAs, BAFTAs , Oscars, Cartoon D’Ors, European Producer of the Year,
Entrepreneur of the Year and most recently a Peabody.
Recent graduates have their work shown in countries far afield as the USA, India , Japan, Canada,
Italy, Spain , south America ,and, of course, Ireland. Many graduates have gone on to have
successful international careers in studio such in such as Disney, Dreamworks, Lucasfilm, Blue Sky,
WETA, Rhythm & Hues, Double Negative, Aardman, Rare and many more.
Graphic Design and Illustration
Students gain advanced entry into DLIADT, DIT and NCAD and graduates are found working in
companies in Ireland, UK, Netherlands, Australia and USA.
Art Portfolio
A high proportion of students gain entry into third level institutions such as NCAD, DIT, DLIADT and
GMIT.
Fibre Art
Graduates’ work is part of many private collections, including the OPW. One graduate’s work hangs
in the office of an Taoiseach.
Media
Radio, Television and Journalist students are working as reporters, editors, presenters, producers in
RTE, UTV Ireland, Sky Arts, Today FM, Spin, BBC, TV3, Newstalk, FM104, RTE Guide, Hotpress, Irish
Independent, Irish Times, Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Country Magazine, Womans Way and the Evening
Herald.
Music Performance
Graduates of the college Rockschool include, Damien Dempsey, Wallis Bird, Mikey Harte and Mundy.
Graduates of the traditional music course include Alan Doherty, David Munnelly, Gavin Whelan,
Gerry Paul and Mossy Nolan, all renowned in traditional music circles.
Digital Media and Games
Graduates of the digital media and games are to be found working in companies such as the Irish
Times, Egg, Done Deal, Alliance World Wide Care, Ovo, Atom Split Games, Google, PayPal and Allianz
Wordwide Care.
The Future
Further education has seen huge changes in recent times with the abolition of the VECs and the
formation of the Education and Training Boards. The source of funding for the sector has changed
with allocation for staffing being channelled via SOLAS instead of the Department of Education as
was the previous practice.
The PLC sector grew organically from the 1980s onwards. It is now much more formalised. The “Cap
on Numbers” and the reduction in teaching allocation have restricted development.
Access, Transfer and Progression
Education is a lifelong experience. It should be possible for students to have a seamless transition
from Further education to the Higher Education sector. This is very limited at present. This road
block needs to be cleared to enable students to progress beyond the programmes on offer in further
education. More work is necessary to ensure greater integration between education sectors.
Industry
All students ultimately need to work. Industry is a key stakeholder in advising on programme
development and delivery. The college engages with industry on an on-going basis, from advice and
recommendations on programme commencement to programme delivery, the facilitation of guest
lectures and student work placement. Some students currently participate with industry on “live
briefs” enabling them to gain “real” experience. Permission for the FE sector to share in the
Innovation Voucher System would further enhance this experience and allow for a much more
exciting student engagement.
Ballyfermot College reviews all its programmes on an annual basis. We continually search for new
opportunities for programme delivery. The development of new programmes is currently underway.
We, at all times, attempt to ensure that the work undertaken in the college is student centred and
relevant, supporting students to reach their full potential.
Maureen Conway
Principal